


A Good Heart

by dragonnan



Category: Psych
Genre: Gen, I Made Myself Cry, Possibly Ghostly Visitation - Subtle Implication, Shawn is impressed with himself, Short One Shot, So is Woody, Some medical descriptions of an autopsy, Sweet Yet Super Sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-07
Updated: 2016-10-07
Packaged: 2018-08-20 03:05:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8233904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonnan/pseuds/dragonnan
Summary: Woody sighed. He'd been sincere when he'd said he'd wanted to have the honor of cracking open that chest. Poking among the innards of the recently deceased was something he honestly took joy in. He was not only skilled in his craft, but in separating himself from the individual he was studying. And yet...





	

It wasn't often that he was wrong. Of course, that generally was with regards to his profession. Prognostication was more the skill set of the young man occupying the metal table before him. Had been, rather. Unfortunate that it seemed to have abandoned him when needed the most.

 

Woody sighed. He'd been sincere when he'd said he'd wanted to have the honor of cracking open that chest. Poking among the innards of the recently deceased was something he honestly took joy in. He was not only skilled in his craft, but in separating himself from the individual he was studying. And yet...

 

"Holy crap, is that what my spleen looks like?"

 

Woody smiled as he tapped the dark red organ. "That would be your liver. And very lovely too! I can see you weren't much of a drinker. In fact, I'm thinking of adding this one to my collection." He had an enviable stash of preserved tissues back in his office. This specimen would be a marvelous addition. A true, conversational piece. He could tell the former owner was flattered.

 

The whispery creature hovering just behind his sight seemed to lean in with Woody as the older man lifted a pair of tweezers and hunched over the chest cavity. Never too late for a little class session – teaching in a one on one capacity, or one on four as was often the case, was something else Woody never grew tired of.

 

"The bullet entered next to your spine; you can see where it severed the cord; you would have instantly been paralyzed from the waist down."

 

The light chuckle wasn't unexpected. "Dude, I'm totally Doctor X! I guess that makes you Jean Grey."

 

Woody grinned in return. "Yes, well, you _would have_ been if the round hadn't ricocheted off your third rib and ripped a hole through you right ventricle. I'm guessing you bled out in about... oh... fifteen minutes."

 

A huff of air could nearly be felt against his ear. "Try again, doc. My body is a temple of fortitude. I held on for a solid half hour."

 

Woody smiled and almost looked over his shoulder. "Really? Well I'm truly impressed, young man!" He lifted the spent hunk of metal from its resting place against the cracked shoulder blade and dropped it into the dish nearby. The ethereal presence drifted to get a closer look at the mushroom shaped lump while Woody moved on to the lungs.

 

"Again, I'm impressed! You've got the tissues of a runner!" His companion practically beamed but remained silent as Woody lifted and weighed the oblong organs. No, he wasn't required to be so thorough, but this was not something he'd miss. Others would attend the funeral and eat mini sandwiches and throw flowers. For Woody, this was far better a send off. To respect and honor each and every piece of this man.

 

The gut was next, the younger man's shock and awe regarding its length coupled with the observation that it explained why he was always so hungry. "Dude, I could have digested a camel!"

 

"Or, possibly, a young Bubalus _bubalis_." The confused pause was also not unexpected. "What, that's like, a kind of forest ape, right?"

Woody smirked. "It's a water buffalo."

 

"Ah..." Distracted once more as the body was hollowed of its essential parts, all that remained was one final element. Woody actually _did_ glance to the side this time, though the only thing to fill his view was the wall of drawers.

 

Carefully, with precise and delicate movements, Woody lifted the stilled organ from its nest beneath the spread ribs. The lightness of their conversation fell away with its removal. He could sense the being beside him ripple as his hold began to weaken; his voice soft and pale.

 

"You think my dad would want it?"

 

The last echo of the question began to fade with that lively spirit and Woody felt the first pricks of heat in his throat. The drift away from clinical wasn't unwelcome. In fact, he was grateful for it. It was as it should be. His smile was less easy this time, his awareness of his solitary surroundings keener as he replied to the empty air.

 

"Oh kid, I'm pretty sure your dad already has it."


End file.
